sharpneek



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. s. SHARPNEEK.

ROTARY GAS ENGINE.

N0. 428,762. Patented May 27, 1890.

(No Model.)

} 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

W. S. SHARPNEEK.

ROTARY'GAS ENGINE.

umc., msmucrow u c UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

WILLIAM SSHARPNEEK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANCIS T.

IVHEELER, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY GAS- ENG l N E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,762, datedMay 27, 1890.

Application filed AugustlZ, 1889. Serial No. 320,465. (No model.)

To aZ Z whom it mag concern: through which the necessary lubricant may 50 Be it known that I, \VILLIAM S. SHARPNEEK, be supplied. a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohi- On opposite sides of the drum B are thimcago, in the county of Cook and State of Illibles K K, set in apertures formed in the heads nois, have invented certain new and useful of the drum, and having at their inner ends Improvements in Rotary Gas Engines, of spiral springs 7o k, which tend to force out 55 which the following is a specification, refersaid thimbles and keep them in cont-act with ence being had therein to the accompanying the heads of the casing. drawings. In one of the heads a is a short recess or 1-0 This invention is an improvement on that port L, and in the other head a a longer reclass of gas-engines in which a rotary piston cess or port L, curved for the greater portion 60 is employed; and it consists in the peculiar of its length, so as to register with the thimble construction, arrangement, and combinations K as it travels around the drum.

of parts hereinafter more particularly de- At M is a recess in the casing, which forms scribed, and then definitely claimed. a kind of port for the escape of gas, 850., as

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is will be explained hereinafter. 5

a side view of an engine constructed accord- It will of course be understood that the ening to my improvement with one of the heads gine is provided with the necessary fly-wheel, removed and part of the piston broken away. pulley, &c., although such devices are not Fig. 2 is a similar view with the piston in a shown, as they form no part of the present different position. Fig. 3 is a similar view on invention. 7 the opposite side of the engine; and Fig. 4 is The operation is as follows: Supposing the a section of the drum of the piston on the line piston to be in the position represented at m w on Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the Fig. 1 and traveling in the direction indicated arrows on said line. by the large arrow, as it revolves it draws in Referring now to the details of construca charge of air and gas until the piston astion, A represents the casing provided with sumes the position shown in Fig. 2, when the spaces to form a water-jacket, in which case further inlet of gas and air is prevented by revolve the drums B C, the former having a the edge e of the drum C coming in contact 0 piston b and the latter a recess 0 to allow of with the interior of the casing. As soon as p the piston 12 passing as the two revolve tothe piston 1) passes the lighting device the So gether in a manner well known in rotary encharge is ignited by the red-hot pipe H, and gines of various patterns, the two drums bethe piston is driven round with great force ing connected together by gearing, (not past the exhaust F, when the exhaust takes 5 shown,) so as to always revolve with equal place and compression begins as soon as the speed. Both drums are preferably cast holpiston passes the exhaust-opening. As the low, the drum O being hollow simply to make piston continues to revolve the thimble K it light; but the drum B is made hollow to registers with the curved part (see dotted formacompression-chamber b,whose use will lines in Fig. of the port L, which allows 40 be more fully hereinafter explained. of the air and exploded gas contained in the At D is shown the inlet of the air, and Eis space above the piston b to enter the upthe gas-inlet pipe set in the center of the airper part of the port 'L"and then pass down inlet. The exhaust is shown at F and the through it and the thimble K into cha'mber igniting apparatus at G. The igniting appa- Z), to be compressed into the chamber 1) until. 45 ratus consists of a pipe H, having a chamber the thimble K passes the end of the port L,

h at its top, and the pipe is kept at a red when communication therein and the casing 9; heat by the Bunsen burner L, in a manner is cut off, shutting the compressed air and well known. exploded gas therein. To prevent any back- At the top of the casing is a lubricator J, lash from further compression after the communication is cut oft, the port M. is provided, which allows a passage over the top of the piston I). As the piston continues to revolve it draws in a charge, as before, and when the thimble K registers with the port L, which will be when the parts reach the position shown in Fig. l, the compressed air and exploded gas contained in the chamber I) will rush out into the casing through said thimble K and port I and force a portion of the charge just drawn in into the pipe II, where it is ignited, and thus the charge is exploded under compression and the operation continues as before. The chamber it allows of the compression of a considerable quantity of gas in it by the force of the compressed air and gas from the chamber 1;, which insures that enough gas shall pass through the pipe ll to surely ignite the same, which is not always the case with the igniting devices of this character heretofore used.

From this it will be seen that I have invented a revolving gas-engine that is simple in construction and cheaply built, is under power for a large part of every revolution, and fires the charge while it is under compression, thus making a very powerful engine of comparatively little weight, bulk,and cost.

\Vhat I claim as new is l. A rotary engine having a casing, and a piston working therein, constructed and arranged to drawin a charge, andmeans, as the chambers I) and port L, for containing and admitting compressed gases to the charge, substantially as described.

2. A rotary engine having a casing, a piston working therein, suitable inlet and outlet passages, and a compression-chamber, arranged substantially as deseribed, whereby the piston draws in a charge at one portion of its revolution, is acted upon by the exploded charge at another portion,and acts as aeompressor during athird period of its revolution, as set forth.

3. A gas-engine in which the drum of the piston acts as a compression-ehamber, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the casing of a gas-engine, of a rotary piston acting as a compressor, and having a hollow drum forming a conipression-ehamber, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a gas-engine, of a rotary piston having a hollow drum forming a compression-ehamber, an inlet and outlet for the compressed air and gas, and ports in the casin g registering with said inlet and outlet, substantially as described.

ti. The combination, in a gas-engine, of a casing A, a hollow drum B, piston 11, the drum C, having a recess for the piston 11, an inlet and outlet to the hollow drum, and ports for registering with the inlet and outlet, substantially as described.

7. The combination, in agas-engine, of the casing and two drums working therein, one having a piston to draw in the charge and the other acting as a valve to cut off the supply of gas, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a gas-engine, of a casing A, a hollow drum 1 having piston b, drum 0 having a recess for the piston l), and an inlet for the charge arranged in that part of the casing in which drum C works, whereby said drum acts as a valve, substantially as described.

9. The combination, in a gas-engine, of the casing having the charge-inlet, an ignitor, and an exhaust, with a drum 13, piston b, and a drum (1, having a recess for the piston and acting as a valve, substantially as described.

10. The combination, in a gas engine, of a casing having a charge-inlet, an ignitor, and an exhaust, with piston Z), hollow drum B, having an inlet and out-let to the chamber in said drum, ports in the easing-heads registering with said inlet and outlet, and drum (1, having a recess for the piston b and acting as a valve to the charge-inlet, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ai'fix my signature,in presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of August, 1889.

\VILLIAM S. SIIARINEEK.

Witnesses:

Tnos. E. Ronnn'rsox, SAMUEL A. DRURY. 

